My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins (editor), Holly Black, Ally Carter, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Matt de la Pena, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White

* * * 3/4

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME: TWELVE HOLIDAY STORIES by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins.

Review:            

  

When I first heard about this book, I about lost my business.  I mean seriously? Not only most of my favorite YA authors in one anthology but most of my favorite YA authors writing Christmas stories!  Hell, yeah! 

This compilation delivers just as the title and the contributing authors suggest.  The best story (in my opinion, of course) was the very first story - Midnights by Rainbow Rowell. I enjoyed it so much I re-read it twice before moving on to the rest of the book.  I couldn’t help but wonder if leading with such a great story didn’t put the other stories and authors at an unfair disadvantage. But they had nothing to fear.  Each author put their heart into their story and it shows. There really is something for everyone.  If you love YA and you love Christmas, this book is definitely for you.

So how do I review this?  In the past, when reviewing collections like this, I’ve just highlighted my favorite stories.  But each of these stories deserved some attention so I went ahead and gave my rating and opinion on each.  I really hope you all will read this.  I put it up there with Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares for happy holiday reading.

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell 5/5 –This follows two best friends from their first high school NYE party to their latest NYE celebration.  This was my absolute favorite.  Rowell just GETS romance. 

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link 3/5 – A magical love story between a girl and a ghost (of sorts) that only appears at Christmas when it is snowing.  Their affection develops over the years and the grown girl attempts to keep him with her.

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena 3/5 – A penniless young college student spends the holidays housesitting and hungry.  A neighbor girl slowly worms her way through his defenses, encouraging him to have a happy holiday despite his circumstances.  My heart broke for the young man in this story but don’t think it’s sad.  This story is holiday hope at its finest.

Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me by Jenny Han 3/5 – A lovely yet sad story about a human girl raised by Santa and his elves. This was a cute story right up until the end.  I can’t give it away but I will say that it is not necessarily a SAD ending but maybe just not the magical ending I wanted…

It’s A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins 5/5 – Okay, I had two favorites, and it’s no surprise that Stephanie Perkins wrote the other one.  This story about an aspiring graphic artist, a boy with a voice and a tree is quintessential Perkins.  Full of humor, snark and sweetness.

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan 4/5 – A boy convinces his Jewish boyfriend to play Santa on Christmas night so that his little sister can believe for at least one more year.  You all know how much I love David Levithan.  So I’m just going to say this…DAVID LEVITHAN!

Krumpuslauf by Holly Black 2/5 – Holly Black puts her own spin on the Krampus myth.  I really like Holly Black but it always takes a little while to immerse myself in her writing style. I think this short story just wasn’t for me. But if you are a Holly Black fan and/or you enjoy a dark spin to your Christmas cheer, you are definitely going to enjoy this one.

What the Hell Have you Done, Sophie Roth by Gayle Forman 4/5 – A New York girl struggles to fit into her small-town Midwest college.   As always, Gayle Forman delivers a thoughtful contemporary romance with a holiday spin.

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire 3/5 – A prankster is given a second chance after accidentally burning down the church barn used for the annual Christmas pageant.  This was a cute story and definitely forced me to move Myra McEntire’s stories up on the TBR pile.

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White 4/5 – This was an excellent contemporary romance with just a hint of magic.  And how can there NOT be magic in a town called CHRISTMAS?

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter 4/5 – Shel has been pushing me to read Ally Carter and I can’t blame her.  This story about a girl grabbing an opportunity to be normal for the holidays was full of all those warm fuzzies that Hallmark throws our way every holiday season.  Come to think of it, this (along with a number of others in this compilation) would make a great movie…

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 4/5 –Fantasy isn’t often my thing but this story was absolutely beautiful.  I now understand why there is so much love for Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series.  She is certainly an artistic story teller.  

Nat

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

* * * * 1/2

AROUND THE WORLD, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged creatures who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

MEET KAROU.  She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she speaks many languages – not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color.  Who is she?  That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

From master storyteller and National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor comes a sweeping and gorgeously written modern fantasy about a forbidden love, an ancient and epic battle and a hope for a world remade.

Marvelous! Laini Taylor has created a breathtaking world with text that swims with vivid imagery and color. I’ll admit that it took me the first 40 pages before the book's rhythm cast its spell on me and now a few days later I'm still a bit heady from it.

Karou is a child of two worlds – human and supernatural. The only family she has ever known are all chimaera – creatures whose physical attributes are both human and animal-like at once. The head of her family is Brimestone. He is both a father figure to her and her employer. As a collector of teeth he sends her on errands all over the world to trade and buy them. She doesn’t know exactly what the teeth are for but since Brimestone is the only family she has, she trusts him implicitly. Meanwhile, she can't let go of this sense that she's not completely whole. She's never been told where she came from or how Brimestone came to be her protector. But that finally changes when the latest errand she's sent on has her colliding into her past.

Akiva is an angel who from an early age was bred to be a fierce warrior. In his world, the angels and chimaera have been locked in an ages-old battle for power and dominance as long as anyone can remember. Co-existing peacefully is out of the question. When Akiva and Karou finally encounter each other, there’s a burning, irresistible force that draws them to one another. Once Akiva figures out why, he has to decide if it’s worth everything he holds close to him to help Karou remember who she really is.

Readers will have to be patient as the story gently unfolds in its own unique way. It pivots back and forth between Karou and Akiva and distant memories before the pieces come together. By the time you get there the stakes are high and the crisis that has been building has taken on a new life.

Laini Taylor’s storytelling is beyond extraordinary. Her descriptions are so meticulous and the dazzling images stay stuck in your head. I wish I could say more but you have to discover each page for yourself. Simply put, if you want to be "wowed", Daughter of Smoke & Bone will certainly do it!

~ Bel

A Peek in the Biblio-Bin - #12

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

This week Bel gives you a Peek in the Biblio-Bin.

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

 

 

 

 

 

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

"Beautifully crafted", "Fantastically funny." "Compulsively readable." Jonathan Tropper has earned wild acclaim—-and comparisons to Nick Hornby and Tom Perrotta—for his biting humor and insightful portrayals of families in crisis and men behaving badly. Now the acclaimed author of The Book of Joe and Everything Changes tackles love, lust, and lost in the suburbs—in a stunning novel that is by turns heartfelt and riotously funny.

Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet suburban town, that makes him something of a celebrity—the object of sympathy, curiosity, and, in some cases, unbridled desire. But Doug has other things on his mind. First there's his sixteen year-old stepson, Russ: a once-sweet kid who now is getting into increasingly serious trouble on a daily basis. Then there are Doug's sisters: his bossy twin, Clair, who's just left he husband and moved in with Doug, determined to rouse him from his Grieving stupor. And Debbie, who's engaged to Doug's ex-best friend and manically determined to pull off the perfect wedding at any cost.

Soon Doug's entire nuclear family is in his face. And when he starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time around dating scene, it isn't long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often hilarious swath of sexual missteps and escalating chaos across the suburban landscape.

What did you find in your biblio-bin this week?

A Peek in the Biblio-Bin - #6

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

This week Nat gives you a peek into the Biblio-Bin.

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa tol him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring and bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem - when the Voice took over he mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for and evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery - although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely - enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes od Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life

Share with us the books you acquired this past week!